//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 Birth of the Cult and the Shadowbolt Elite 
// Story: The Cult of Nightmare Moon 
// by Forgotten Legends 
//------------------------------//

	The Cult of Nightmare Moon started a thousand years ago when Luna grew tired of her sister’s day. Luna had a strong group of subjects who slept in the day and were awake at night. Luna met with them every twelve days, because she knew that she would get one day away from her duties. Luna kept her Nightmare self a secret until the night before the summer solstice.

Then on the fifth summer solstice she made her move. Luna refused to lower her moon, but when Celestia tried to reason with her she had had enough. Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and threatened to end her sister’s life. Celestia kept trying to reason with her, but when Luna hit her with a strong blast of magical energy Celestia was forced to take drastic measures.

Celestia took the most extreme measures possible, Luna left her with no choice but to use the elements of harmony. She lifted each element and shot a powerful rainbow colored beam at her sister. Luna scream as she felt the elements sending her to the moon. The cult sensed that their goddess was in trouble and looked up at the moon and saw their goddess on the surface.

The cult used a powerful spell to create a gate for their goddess to escape from the moon. They had made it possible for her to leave the moon behind as well as that foolish princess. Their goddess formed an aerial stunt team and gave them alicorn powers. The team was called the Shadowbolts. They would make sure that her powers would remain even if Luna regained control over her evil self.

The cult used the abandoned castle as a hideout. They knew that the elements were stored here so using a magic spell they had created they disconnected Celestia from the elements of harmony. The cult knew their goddess would come back at full strength to rule over Equestria. They had put a spell on the element of magic that only let a truly powerful unicorn wield its power.

The cult saw that a group of six ponies on the night of their goddess’s release from her prison. They knew that they had to stop these ponies on that fateful night. So they spent their time working on their skills with their alicorn powers. The Shadowbolts were planning something even bigger in case their plan to help their goddess failed. They were planning to make the six into Nightmares to create a powerful team to destroy that wretched princess Celestia.

They formed an alliance with an even more powerful god, Discord. They told him that he would break free once the six took possession of the elements. Discord liked the idea of becoming free once more. They told him that they needed to learn how to perform his discording spell. They told him that if he was reinprisoned that they would raise a filly as a being of chaos.

Discord liked the thought of having a chaotic spawn to keep chaos spread in Equestria. They had a member become mysteriously pregnant. She gave birth to a pink filly she had no irises in her eyes. Her eyes were a swirling pattern. They made sure that she was given the powers of her father figure. They named her Screwball and they implanted false memories so she would see discord as her father.

They trained her in use of her powers so she would have full control of her own abilities. Screwball had put several things into the world. Screwball did as her foster parents told her to do. Screwball had created anger, greed, disloyalty, cruelty, and lying. She had put these on the elements of harmony, so when the six took control of them they would turn into their polar opposites when discorded.

The cult put the young filly in a magical sleeping room, so that she wouldn’t grow up and die before she met her dad. Screwball slept through the centuries waiting for her awaking. The cult had grown and had new powerful members that would make it easier to revive their goddess Nightmare Moon. They knew that they failed their goddess would never forgive them.

Then the cult had members join the royal guard. They knew that Celestia would probably be looking for a new element of magic bearer. They knew that that unicorn would have extremely powerful magical abilities. The cult also had an agent in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. They had her as a judge to see if the unicorn could join the school.

Then one day a purple unicorn came to the school, she was named Twilight Sparkle. They were about to fail her, when all of a sudden an explosion caused her to use an enormously powerful magic spell. She had grew the baby dragon and turned them into plants. Then the agent’s enemy Princess Celestia stepped in stopped the unicorn’s powers and made Twilight her personal protégé. The agent reported back to her fellow members about the find.

The cult knew they had found the key ingredient for the elements of harmony, and they knew that they had to keep her from making friends. The cult put a spell on her so that she would prefer to be a loner over having friends, because they knew that if she made friends that would be disastrous. They sought out ponies who got their cutie marks on that day. They found two pegasi, two earth ponies, and a unicorn pony.

They saw that the pegasi Rainbow Dash was always loyal to her friends, but she wanted to be a part of the Wonderbolts. The other pegasi Fluttershy was so kind and gentle, but she had a side viscous she kept well controlled. The one earth pony Applejack grew up without a mom and dad. All she had was her grandma, big brother, and baby sister. The other earth pony Pinkie Pie had a sad life, up until she saw that rainbow and became happy. 

Pinkie Pie had made life for her family happy. And finally the unicorn Rarity was dreaming of becoming a fashion designer. She was so generous that she put exquisite gems on the costumes. They knew that these six if they became friend it would ruin their plans. So the night of the six trying to get the elements they tried to keep them apart. Their plan backfire much to their horror, and the six became the new bearers of elements of harmony.

So the Shadowbolts set their plan into action, and they told the others the plan. They kept hidden but put things in motion and made a new group, The Legion of Shadows. They took six hardened pegasi criminal members and made them into the new Shadowbolt elite team.